"Exploring the Limits of Prequels in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds"

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' latest episode, "Ad Astra per Aspera," features a classic Trek trope of a courtroom episode, but with a twist. Instead of the captain or a Federation officer advocating for Star Trek's ideals, a member of the same marginalized group being put on trial takes on the case. The episode's allegory about discrimination against genetically altered species is made stronger by the advocate's shared perspective and experiences with the defendant. However, the victory is pyrrhic as the bigger picture of the rights championed in the victory are put aside to not be touched again, a common problem in most Star Trek courtroom episodes.